The Master Cleanse is a short-term cleansing weight loss diet that also goes by the name “The Lemonade Diet”. This strategy permits only liquids throughout the length of the diet and is meant to function as a detoxification process for the body in order to kick off a new diet or jumpstart one that is already in progress.
The diet is based on the concepts from a book called “The Master Cleanser”, which was written by Stanley Burroughs. The claims in that publication are that by taking on a strict diet of only liquids, weight loss will be much faster and easier. The diet needs to be maintained for ten days or more for best results, says the book, and the outcome will be a detoxified digestive system and overall improvements in health, happiness, and energy levels.
There are three phases to The Master Cleanse. It starts by easing into the diet, itself. Over a period of three days, processed foods are gradually but rapidly removed from what is being consumed, and liquid based meals are used to replace them. The second phase is the “Lemonade Diet” component. It continues for ten straight days, in which no alcohol or solid food are permitted. The only options that are allowed during the ten days are an herbal laxative tea, a salt-water beverage, and a special type of “lemonade” for which the recipe is on the diet’s website. It consists of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup.
The official site recommends that dieters consume a minimum of six to twelve glasses of the lemonade each day. The salt water beverage is consumed once in the morning, and the laxative is taken before bedtime.
The third phase of the Master Cleanse eases the dieter out of the all-liquid phase and back into solids again. Over three days, solid foods should be re-introduced, beginning with soups and juices, and working up toward vegetables and fruits.
It is very important and highly recommended that a doctor be consulted before trying a diet like this one. These types of cleanses can be hard on the organs of the body and can put them into shock. It is also not appropriate for everyone. This type of program could actually be dangerous for people with certain very common medical conditions.
While it is likely that some weight will be lost through the length of The Master Cleanse, as the caloric intake is exceptionally low, most of the pounds that will be lost will be in the form of water. That will be a temporary weight loss, most of which will return once the body is hydrated again. Moreover, there is a risk that the metabolism will have slipped into “starvation mode” during this period of low calorie consumption, and this could make it harder to lose weight and easier to gain it once the diet is over.
